Sunlight streaked through the crack in the curtains against the double doors, the soft glow of dawn filling the room. They had closed the lighter curtains, getting plenty of privacy without needing the blackout curtains.
It was a gentle tap on the glass of the double doors that stirred them from their sleep. Justin, being the closest to the door, got out of bed and half awake trudged across the small room.
“Breakfast is almost ready,” Lynn said softly. “Are you ok, after last night?”
“We’re fine. Had a lot to work out, still do, but we’ll get there. See you in a bit for breakfast.”
“Shit, did you need to pump?” JC asked. “Did you get up at all last night?”
“I guess I must have, I just don’t remember it. Well, not sure to be proud of that or terrified that I could do just about anything in my sleep and not know it…”
“For now,” Justin said, “let’s get ready to have breakfast.”
They got up, putting on jackets to go to the main house, Mikayla wanting to dress for the day after eating, and knowing more of what they’d be doing.
There were pancakes and scrambled eggs and juice on the table, coffee in a pot on the counter. Everyone grabbed food, making small talk to start the day, no one but Justin knowing the plan.
When they all finished eating and dishes were clean, Justin cleared his throat. “I know it’s cold, so we’re already dressed warm, but get dressed for the snow. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Daddy, we’re in the mountains and there’s no snow,” Barb said.
“Trust me, there will be,” Justin sighed in reply. “I have it on good authority.”
They got into their snow gear before piling into cars, Justin leading the caravan. After over 45 minutes of driving, they began to see snow on the side of the road, in treetops, and on the ground. The twins tried to contain their excitement, finally squealing so loud it scared Silas, causing him to fuss and cry.
“Sorry Silas, we’re just so EXCITED!” Barb squeaked, trying to be quiet and not further scare her brother.
Mikayla smiled as she saw the sign for Badger Pass Ski Area. “I’ve never been here, so this will be fun for a lot of us.”
They got out of the cars, the kids excited to play in the snow, the older boys throwing snowballs at each other. They followed other visitors to the front, Justin getting their day passes. The adults were free to ski or snowboard as they wished, the kids could sled or going tubing down smaller hills.
Mikayla, Miranda, and Sarah opted to stay with the kids. Carolina was satisfied watching Silas inside the lodge while the rest of them played.
“You sure you’re gonna be ok here with the kids?” Justin asked Mikayla.
“I can’t ski to save my life. I’m fine holding down the fort while you pros hit the slopes. Have fun.” She hugged and kissed Justin, hugging JC quickly. She was thankful they were harder to recognize with their beanies, goggles, and scarves covering most of their faces. Hopefully she could sneak in a quick kiss or two with JC and no one would notice who he was, raise any red flags. This wasn’t Snowed In on MTV where they were dressed for cameras. They were two men hitting the slopes among the hundreds of others that were there.
“Come on, Mommy, let’s go sledding!” Joshy called, grabbing her hand. The twins got sleds that were the perfect size, Mikayla getting an intertube. They used the small slopes compared to the bigger hill some of the teens and older kids were using. She and Sarah had a blast taking turns between watching the kids go down, making sure they did so safely, and taking a turn on the tube themselves and being part of the fun.
“Looks like you guys are having fun,” JC said as he approached Mikayla. “Just finished a run, I’m out of practice…”
“You having fun though?” Mikayla asked.
“Yeah. Just falling down more than I’d like. Probably a good idea that our parents all stayed inside the lodge. Stay warm and less risk of injury. Though if this place had a bar, our dads would all be drinking away.”
“Pretty sure they want to avoid drinking and skiing or snowboarding. Especially since you have to drive down the mountain to any cabins or hotels.”
"Well, I came over to say hi, see how you guys were doing. They’re waiting for me to do another couple runs before lunch. We’ll come get you when we’re done, hopefully that times out well for you guys, too.”
“See you in a bit.” Mikayla leaned in close. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” JC looked around, no one looking directly at them. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before going back to the ski lift.
Mikayla took pictures and video of all the cousins playing together, taking a break from sledding to make snow angels and build a snowman before they finally started a snowball fight. The younger cousins teamed up against the older boys, making it almost an even fight.
Soon Justin, JC, and Tyler joined their families, ready for lunch. They made their way to the lodge, finding their parents already eating. It was typical fast food fare, burgers and chicken strips. Things that were easy to cook, easy to eat, and easy to clean up. They ordered their food, sitting down at several of the large tables inside.
Justin was almost afraid to take his beanie and goggles off, for JC to do the same. He sighed, hoping people would be too busy to notice and leave them alone.
They were with their entire family, not just the three of them. Maybe that would help. They were at a small ski lodge in a national park, not a glamorous resort where paparazzi would expect them to be.
He carefully pulled his goggles up onto his beanie, looking around at the people seated around his table. His wife and kids, his mom holding Silas so Mikayla could eat. These were the people that mattered, not anyone else that might be watching.
JC sat on the other side of Mikayla. “You show her the video?”
“Not yet. Can I finish eating first?” Justin chuckled.
“This place is incredible,” JC sighed. “I can see why you love it here.”
“Just wait until you see the view of the valley. Seeing Half Dome, the mountains framing the valley perfectly…”
“Jesus, C, just show her already!” Justin snapped, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked his phone and put it on the table.
“Sorry man… Not like I said anything specific.”
“Sorry, just wanted to finish eating so I could show her, and you come barreling in to take over. Kinda like our marriage…”
“Justin, that’s enough,” Mikayla snapped in response. “All of our families are here, it’s the day before Christmas. What’s the problem that you’re making it this huge deal?”
“This was my idea and he’s ruining the surprise,” Justin huffed. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Sometimes you’re as bad as the kids,” Mikayla sighed, taking his phone.
She opened the pictures app, seeing a video of them going up the ski lift. As their chair gets to the other end and they head towards the slope, Mikayla’s jaw dropped at the sight on Justin’s phone.
“Half Dome,” she gasped. “Topped with snow, so close up. Not as close as Glacier Point, but wow… That’s incredible…”
“It hit me and Tyler the same way when we first saw it. We had no clue what it was, so Justin told us. He took this video on our second run, knowing what was coming,” JC smiled softly.
“You may not have been up there with us, but this is the next best thing I could give you until we go into the park,” Justin said.
“Thank you, both of you. Justin, you were sweet to know this would be something I’d want to see and captured this for me. Josh, once you knew how important it was to me, you were excited to share it with me. It came out of a good place for both of you. I’m lucky to have you both in my life.”
They finished lunch and went back to the sledding and tubing area, the grandparents watching and getting pictures and video as the rest played in the snow with the kids. Justin and the guys got a couple more runs in before they decided to go, knowing the kids would conk out as soon as they got back to the cabin, or probably on the way back.
“I know it’s Christmas Eve, but I’m thinking maybe we find a restaurant in town, support a local business instead of cooking tonight,” Justin suggested.
“Justin, it’s small towns all around here,” Carolina sighed.
“He’s not wrong,” Miguel replied. “We know you’ll refuse help tomorrow, and these are tourist areas, they expect someone is going to need to eat tonight…”
“This isn’t a hotel with staff working the restaurant, these are families that want to be together on Christmas Eve,” Carolina sighed.
“If we can’t find anywhere open,. We’ll go back to the house,” Justin conceded. “We’ll look for places on the way to the cabin, not venturing off the direct path back.
They got back into the cars and headed down the mountain, towards the cabin and into town. It was around 5:00, the sun was setting. They looked for places with cars in front, signaling somewhere to stop and check. Miguel wasn’t familiar with the area, despite their frequent trips years ago.
Justin saw a place with a few cars in front, hoping for a sign of being open. The other cars followed him into the parking lot, engines idling in case they needed to move on. The lights were on, and Justin saw a few people sitting at a table as he walked to the front door.
He opened the door tentatively. “Excuse me, are you guys open for business?”
“Wouldn’t be here if we weren’t,” an older woman behind the counter chuckled.
“We’ve got a big group, about 20. Is that going to be a problem? I know it’s Christmas Eve, I don’t want to impose…”
“No imposition at all, darlin’. Any of this group kids?”
“Six,” Justin replied.
“Booster seats or high chairs?”
“We can make it work if you don’t have enough, but 4 boosters. My son’s 2 months old, I don’t think the high chair will be good yet.”
“Come on in before it gets dark. We’ll take good care of you guys.”
Justin stepped back outside, signaling for them to park. They funneled into the restaurant, the woman leading them to a bunch of their biggest tables pushed together.
“Welcome to the Hitching Post. What brings you all out this way?”
“Family Christmas. Bit of a long story,” Justin sighed.
“Honey, if y’all are family, the story don’t matter. My name’s Hazel, let my family take care of yours tonight.”
Hazel took their drink orders, getting plenty of paper and crayons for the kids as they waited for their food. Justin heard a commotion behind the counter of the kitchen, hoping everything was ok.
A couple younger kids, in their early to mid twenties came out with trays of drinks and several baskets of fries. A young woman stayed at the end of the table, opposite Justin, making nervous eye contact.
“I think you’ve been recognized,” Mikayla whispered.
Justin nodded. Hazel walked out a moment later. “My kids doing ok? They’re on break, senior year at Sac State.”
“Mom, you’re embarrassing me,” the girl said.
“I’m just gonna come out with it. Are you some big star like my daughter says?” Hazel asked.
“I am, yes,” Justin replied sheepishly.
Hazel looked at her daughter. "Star or not, these folks are here to eat, we’re gonna serve them no differently than anyone else. We all gotta eat, Dani.”
Hazel and her kids walked back to the kitchen, Justin settling into conversation around the table. Their food arrived, everyone being served together.
“Thank you, so much,” Justin said.
“Our pleasure,” Hazel smiled. “It’s been surprisingly quiet the last couple days, so you being here is a breath of fresh air.”
“Have you lived here your whole life?” Mikayla asked.
“No, Mike, my husband, opted for early retirement and we settled here. His favorite area. Moved out here once the kids started college, didn't wanna uproot them during high school. Been here the last 4 years or so now, time flies.”
“Yeah, our twins turn 5 in February.”
“Mind if I hold your baby? Y’all gotta eat.”
“Sure,” Mikayla smiled softly. “His name is Silas.”
“Silas, good name. Means ‘of the forest’, very fitting for around here. Big star, what brings you all out to these parts? I know you said family Christmas, but why here?”
“Yosemite is my happy place. The twins are old enough to appreciate it, play in the snow, and he wanted to surprise me a little. He told me back in May for my birthday, getting as much of the family together as we could. Missing some of his family, so this isn’t even everyone…”
“You’re blessed to have so much family. This town has become our family after we moved up here. Glad to give you a place to be together tonight, really.”
They ate, Hazel and her family sitting down to chat for a bit. Justin took the bill, writing down the tip, above what was included on the bill.
As they began to walk out, Hazel caught Justin’s arm. “I think you made a mistake on the tip…”
“No mistake. You treated us like family, and I want to thank you for that. It’s Christmas Eve, it’s the time to be generous.”
“Generous is $50, but this, sir…”
“Just call me Justin. We’ll be back before our vacation is over, be sure of that. You’re good people, I want to support that. You won’t change my mind about the amount. I’ll check my bank, if you run it for anything less, I’ll come down here and pay cash. You deserve this. Thank you again.”
He walked out, getting into the SUV and driving back to the cabin. The kids were tired, but not quite there yet. They crowded around the TV, putting on the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. That was enough for the kids to fall asleep, snuggled with their parents. Once that was over, Justin put one of Mikayla’s favorite Christmas movies on.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” she smiled, warm from the fire, cuddling with Justin and JC and the kids, sleep soon claiming her as well.
Justin and JC looked at each other, knowing this trip would have memories no one could take away from them, ready for what the morning would bring.
